Devil's Backbone
by TheThirdGreywaren
Summary: The BAU is called in to investigate a series of seemingly random kidnapping and murders in Eugene, Oregon, but find themselves racing against time when two of their own disappear. (Rated M just to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.**

_"Everything I was afraid of when I was growing up, I've become. I've taken on my nightmares, like the devil and the end of the worls, and I've become those things."_

**- Marilyn Manson**

Part One

Everything was fuzzy, but after blinking a few times, she could make out her surroundings.

The room she was in was bigger than she expected, but it could have been the trick of darkness, since the only source of light was a single bulb hanging from the ceiling only a few feet away from her. The walls were unnaturally bare of paint and paneling, leaving studs, pipes, and pink fiberglass insulation fully visible. She was tied to a wooden chair that must have been a bar stool of sorts, since her feet couldn't touch the ground, and she felt elevated. Her head was pounding, so turning her head and examining the room she was in further wasn't much of an option.

She was able to look up enough to notice that the ceiling was low, and her head would brush against one of the support beams if she was only a foot or two higher. She noticed the lack of dust or cobwebs on the ceiling; if this really was a basement like she suspected, then it was kept very well maintained.

A sudden gasp of pain from behind her made her body jerk in surprise, and suddenly the last thing she was doing flashed in her mind, too quick for small details to linger, but slow enough that she has a sickening feeling who was behind her, if memory served right.

"Reid?" She called softly. A muffled groan was her only answer, but she knew. She closed her eyes.

It seemed as though she and Reid were, officially, the UnSub's new victims.

.

_**~ Three Days Prior ~**_

"Come on, Pretty Boy, tell us your secret."

Reid smiled slyly, "A magician never reveals his tricks." Morgan groaned in exasperation, but a hint of a smile passed over his face.

"Ooh, Boy Wonder is doing tricks again?" Garcia joined them at Reid's desk, a piping hot cup of coffee in one hand and a stack of files in another. "Can I see?"

Reid nodded, and motioned for Morgan, Prentiss, and Garcia to turn around. Morgan and Prentiss shared an eye roll; Reid was very strict on his 'No Peeking' rule.

There was a few seconds of tinkering and a soft mutter before Reid finally said, "Okay, turn around."

All three agents eagerly turned around, and they watched in amazement as Reid poured about a quarter of water into a mug and waited a minute before turning it over. No water poured out.

Garcia squealed and clapped. Or, more appropriately, tried to, since she still clutched a mug of coffee and a stack of files. "Boy Genius, you just made that water vanish!"

Reid smiled, his cheeks turning a light red at the attention. Prentiss leaned forwards, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Do that trick one more time, I think I know your secret..."

Before Reid could reply or Morgan and Garcia could ask what the secret could be, J.J. stepped out of Hotch's office and called, "We got a case."

...

"There's been thirteen victims in the past two months," J.J. announced when the team was assembled and sitting in their respective places. "Each one was kidnapped from a different place, at different times, and held for various days before the police could find their bodies. The dump sites are also all different."

"Were they all killed the same way?" Morgan frowned at the slideshow displayed on the whiteboard. Some bodies appeared more mutilated than others; one young woman's exposed lower torso was completely skinned, while the elderly man on the next slide looked seemingly untouched.

J.J. shook her head. "The coroner's reports say that not a single victim was killed the same way as another."

"How do we know if the murders are even connected at all?" Prentiss asked.

Reid looked up from the file in his hands and spoke up, "All the victims are missing their eyes. Coroner's reports say that the time of death was roughly 12 hours prior, and the eyes were removed post-mortem."

"So we may have an UnSub that's experimenting. He hasn't found his type yet," Rossi said grimly.

"We better not hesitate, then," Hotch said. "Wheels up in twenty."

.

**~ Present ~**

The sound of a door opening behind her snapped her to attention. She still couldn't see Reid, and fear for the youngest agent's safety was overruling her own.

The visitor whistled a jolly reel, and she heard the sound increase in volume as soft footsteps walked towards her. They paused suddenly, the song cutting off suddenly, and fear filled her a moment before she heard the sound of a boot making contact with a body, and the awful familiar sound of Reid's pained gasps.

"Stop," she said. She hadn't intended to speak up, but a fierce desire to protect her younger colleague resulted in her blurting out what could very well be a death wish, for either her or Reid.

Sure enough, she heard the UnSub's footsteps starting towards her. The tune began up again, this time breathy and faint, more of a hum that a whistle.

She closed her eyes a moment before she felt the cold contact of a gun barrel pressed against the back of her head.

.

_**~ Two and a Half Days Prior ~**_

"Rossi and Prentiss will speak to the latest victim's family. Morgan and I will investigate the crime scene. Reid and J.J., you two will get to the police station and set up," Hotch instructed. The team split up into their teams and departed in separate black SUVs, all except one pair.

Hotch had a bad feeling, the familiar fear for his agents' lives, but a survey of the airport parking lot did not show him anything unusual, yet did nothing to ease his tension.

"Hotch!" Morgan called from the SUV. Hotch glanced around once more, then sighed. He was always worried for his agents, it was not a new feeling, however this new sense of urgency nagged at him.

He shook his head when Morgan called his name again, and climbed into the driver's seat. He needed a clear head.

He pushed all his worrying to the back of his mind and set the GPS to the location of the thirteenth victim. He would not let another person die.

This was a promise he would find broken in less than forty-eight hours.

.

**~ Present ~**

As morbid as it was, she always wondered if she would hear the sound of the bullet being fired before contact was made, and as she listened to the UnSub pull the gun's hammer back, she realized she would finally find her answer.

She would find out that she could, in fact, hear the trigger be pulled before the bullet killed her.

.

_**~ Two Days Prior ~**_

Hotch frowned as he watched Reid pour himself another cup of coffee. This was now the young doctor's ninth cup in the past few hours, and the amount of sugar he continued to pour into each one was alarming.

"Would you like some coffee with your sugar, Pretty Boy?" Morgan joked, noticing the extra packet Reid poured in. Reid looked up after a pause, and Hotch couldn't miss the glaze in his eyes that meant that Reid was lost in his mind, mentally reviewing the case, his lips moving slightly as Reid muttered his thoughts and connections outloud.

Sensing the youngest agent's mental absence, Morgan didn't bother trying to listen to the jumble of information and sentences leaking from his friend's mouth. He learned a long time ago that Reid was a complex creature, and getting him to explain during what J.J. fondly called a 'Reid Coma' was more of a hassle than simply letting Reid think everything out and present his thoughts afterwards.

Not to mention that Reid was completely unaware of the world around him during one of his 'comas'. It was like his mind set his body to autopilot while it was gone and focused on a case's facts.

Morgan noticed Hotch watching Reid with a furrowed brow, so the dark-skinned agent joined his Unit Supervisor at his side, laughing at how completely oblivious Reid was to an Eugene police officer that watched him mumble with a look of utter confusion and a hint of worry, which increased when he watched Reid pour another sugar packet into his black coffee.

Hotch cracked a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes; he was mentally preoccupied.

Morgan, despite his best efforts to not profile his team, couldn't help but notice this.

"Hotch? Anybody home?" Morgan prompted.

Hotch opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a hiss of pain and shock.

Morgan and Hotch looked over at the same time, watching Reid with amusement as their younger colleague shook off his throbbing hand, glaring at the piping hot mug of coffee on the counter.

Then, almost like clockwork, Reid reached out and grabbed his mug, taking a shallow sip, completely awake and moved on from the sudden burn on his hand.

Morgan could resist bursting out laughing, and even Hotch cracked a smile, even if it was only briefly.

Suddenly, Reid straightened with a sudden realization. He turned and met Hotch and Morgan's eyes almost immediately.

"Guys," Reid began, his eyes filled with realization and excitement, "I think I know how to find our UnSub."

.

**~ Present ~**

She was not dead.

But she wished she was.

The UnSub's laughter at her terror filled her with both anger and fear. The profile wasn't complete when she and Reid were taken, but she knew the missing piece of the puzzle now; their UnSub was a woman, and she was not looking for revenge, or someone to torture, but rather she wasn't mentally stable.

She didn't know which type of mental illness the UnSub had, but she knew Reid would. If only she could talk to him…

She felt the UnSub pull away, and listened intently as she heard Reid groan in pain. There was a sound of what sounded like someone being dragged against the cement floor, and she held her breath when she finally saw Reid for the first time in what felt like centuries as he was dragged in front of her. The UnSub left muttering to herself, and the agent took the time to survey the damage done to her colleague.

The young doctor was half-conscious, and she winced. A part of her wanted him to be fully unconscious because of the amount of pain he must have been feeling.

His face was untouched, it seemed, but the rest of him wasn't as lucky. His brown hair was a mess of tangles, and the hair on the back of his head looked matted with semi-dried blood. There was trail of dried blood from his left ear, and he seemed to be favoring his right ear for listening.

His neck was a canvas of black, blues, and even some yellow and gray. The skin at the base of his throat was an angry red, and since a few top buttons on Reid's button-down shirt was undone, she could see more bruising and a few shallow cuts that was thankfully not bleeding anymore.

Her eyes trailed down the rest of his lanky body, and she swallowed a small cry when she noticed his right leg; she could see bone poking out of the broken limb.

Reid noticed her worried assessment of his injuries, and he tried to offer a smile to assure her, but it was full of pain and fatigue.

"Don't worry, Emily. I'll..."

She never figured the end of the young doctor's sentence, because Reid finally passed out from his injuries, and she wished she could join him in darkness.

.

_**~ Two Days Prior ~**_

Hotch gathered up the rest of the team and the Eugene Police Captain, William Quinn, in the room they had set up as their base. Reid was excitedly circling spots on the map of Oregon, and J.J. was helping him by placing thumbtacks where the doctor told her to.

When he saw that everyone had gathered, Reid began to explain.

"I was thinking about what the victims have in common, and since Garcia couldn't find anything in the victims' backgrounds, I turned back to the geological profile and I realized that each crime scene does mean something." Reid picked up a red Expo marker from the table and connected one set of dots. Then, switching the red marker for a black pen, he connected the dots in a new pattern. He turned to his colleagues excitedly.

"Every female victim was placed in a certain place so they could complete a picture; the astrological sign, Capricorn." Reid motioned to the red pattern, and it was, in fact, the exact shape as the Capricorn sign. He pointed to the black pattern and said, "Every male victim was placed in a way so that they could show the astrological sign Cancer, but since it isn't finished, I'm guessing the UnSub is planning on killing at least two more people by the end of the month."

.

**~ Present ~**

It wasn't long before the UnSub returned, and she could hear the sound of metal against concrete as the UnSub dragged something towards them.

Prentiss kept her eyes focused solely on the still-unconscious Reid. She would do anything to distract the UnSub from her colleague.

Finally, the UnSub dragged whatever it was in front of Prentiss, and she gasped when she realized what it was. The UnSub studied Reid for a moment, then moved to take Prentiss instead, who breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

She thought the UnSub would untie her, but was unpleasantly surprised when the UnSub only shoved her chair over, sending Prentiss crashing backwards. She yelped when she landed on her right wrist, and she both felt and heard the crack from the impact.

"Emily?" Prentiss barely heard Reid's soft groan, but since she did, she began to struggle in hopes to distract the UnSub. Sure enough, the UnSub turned all her attention on Prentiss.

"Witch," the UnSub hissed, and she began to mutter something under her breath. Prentiss could only make out some of the words, and she realized that the UnSub wasn't even speaking English. So she focused on trying to slip out of her bonds.

She was stopped quickly when her wince of pain gave her away, and the UnSub roared anger, screeching in her strange language before aiming a kick at Prentiss's face.

Prentiss felt the explosion of pain as it shoved her right into unconsciousness, tendrils of pain following her, wrapping itself tightly around her mouth and nose as she tried to breathe.

.

_**~ Fourteen Hours Prior ~**_

The team had been working on a profile for a while, but it was obvious that there was too much information, and it was difficult to accurately narrow everything down.

Hotch had been engrossed in his files, but he looked up and around him when he felt Rossi nudge his arm. Hotch first noticed Reid, whose head began to dip as he started to nod off, but with a jolt he woke himself up, rubbing his eyes. There was an alarming amount of empty sugar packets next to his empty coffee mug.

Beside Reid was Prentiss, who was completely asleep, her head resting on her open files. Morgan was sitting on a couch across the room, blinking away sleep as he went over the same file he had been attempting to read for the past few hours. J.J. was wide awake and actively scanning files, but Hotch suspected it was the work of the mug the blonde woman cradled as if it was her son Henry instead of a cup of coffee.

Hotch sighed. His team was working on fumes, and he wished he noticed it sooner. He stood and rapped on the dark oak table twice. Prentiss shot up, wide awake, and Reid perked up as well. Morgan rubbed his face and gave Hotch a questioning look, and J.J. paused, glancing up at the team leader with interest.

"Did you find anything?" J.J. asked.

Hotch shook his head. "No. But we all need a break, so we're going to the hotel to refresh." He glanced at Rossi, who nodded once in agreement.

No one complained, and gladly gathered their things and headed towards the parking lot, eager to sleep in actual beds and shower.

Hotch, Rossi, and J.J. took one SUV, and Morgan, Reid, and Prentiss took the other. The first SUV began driving first, so they weren't surprised to find that they arrived before the rest of their colleagues. They split up to their own rooms, and although J.J. finally passed out from her caffeine rush and Rossi got into the shower, Hotch couldn't find himself able to do anything but wait. He didn't know why, but he was very worried about the other half of his team. He knew the UnSub didn't take more than one person at a time, so his three agents should be fine.

Still, he left to go wait in the lobby. He settled into a highly uncomfortable armchair facing the entrance and flipped through random magazines, watching the door intently.

It took about a half an hour before Hotch finally grew restless enough to finally get up. He had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, so he went out to the parking lot, scanning for any sign of his team's SUV. He spotted it near the back, enveloped in shadows, and he broke off in almost a run, dread filling him.

Fear replaced dread when he recognized the form lying on the ground next to the driver's side.

"Morgan!" Hotch shouted. The form began to stir just as Hotch approached him, and Hotch checked the inside of the SUV. Nothing. He went around the SUV completely, but no other bodies waited for him.

"What happened?" Morgan groaned. "Where's Prentiss and Reid?" The agent instantly became more attentive when he realized that his two colleagues were still uncalled for.

Hotch scanned their surroundings before pulling out his cellphone to call Rossi.

"I have no clue," he answered truthfully. Rossi picked up after the fifth ring, and Hotch could still hear the shower running.

"Did they finally arrive?" Rossi asked before Hotch could say anything. He heard the shower being shut off.

"The SUV and Morgan are here," Hotch said. He watched as Morgan stood up, wincing at the slow trickle of blood sliding down the side of his temple. "But I think Reid and Prentiss are the UnSub's new victims."


	2. Chapter 2

**~ Present ~**

"Please, you need to help h-"

"I know your game, baby. I know what that government has done to you but it's okay, baby, I'm here for you now."

"Please-"

The sickening sound of metal hitting flesh and Reid's pained cry finally tore Prentiss from her daze. She opened her eyes, but found she could only open one, and a red haze settled as blood dripped into her eyes. She blinked rapidly, and enough of the red was wiped away for her to see Reid now sitting in a bar stool. His hands were handcuffed in the front, and Prentiss wouldn't be surprised if that pair belonged to either her or Reid. The UnSub was directly in front of him, cradling a metal baseball bat lovingly. Blood stained both ends, but the UnSub looked unfazed.

Reid was hunched over in pain, but he still held eye contact with the UnSub.

"Thank you for being here," Reid managed to say, his voice hoarse and raspy. Something wet dripped down Prentiss's forehead, and when she reached up to try and wipe it away, she realized that she was also handcuffed. It was awkward wiping her face, and she grimaced at the amount of blood coating her hands.

"Emily? Are you okay?" Reid asked anxiously. Prentiss blinked and glanced around, surprised to see that the UnSub had left without her realizing it.

"I'm fine, Reid. How's your leg?" Prentiss had tried not to wince when she saw the genius's leg hanging limply, but something must have changed in her expression because he sighed.

"It really hurts," he admitted. "I wish I could somehow set and splint it." He looked around slowly, surveying the room as Prentiss swallowed a groan. Her headache was steadily growing worse, and when she tried to sit up, the room spun around her.

She rolled over and threw up what was left in her stomach.

Almost immediately, footsteps began to walk downstairs, towards them. A scolding voice called out, "Emily, stop making such a mess."

Prentiss looked up, eyes wide.

"Mom?"

**.**

"I was beginning to think that you guys ran off and forgot all about me!" Garcia chirped when she answered the phone.

Morgan grimaced. "I have an important job for you, Baby Girl."

"Oh, I don't like that grim tone. What's wrong? What can I do?"

"I need you to see if you can track Reid and Prentiss's phones and find their location."

"I'm typing as fast as I can," Garcia told him nervously. He heard her fingers flying over the keyboard, and he silently sent a prayer to whoever was listening. He blamed himself for not protecting his friends from the UnSub, despite what Hotch told him otherwise.

"I got it!" Garcia said suddenly. Morgan heard the clicking of a few more keys, and then Garcia's voice. "117 Oakland Road. It's a warehouse that has been abandoned since 1983. Wardle and Co. used to manufacture gardening tools and supplies."

"Thank you, Baby Girl," Morgan replied. "I could kiss you right now."

"I'll kiss you when you get my babies back, my chocolate knight."

**.**

Her mother was wearing the suit she bought in Paris; it was a personal favorite, for a reason Prentiss didn't care about.

"Emily, you have made a mess. Clean it up before the Minister arrives, please."

Prentiss blinked, confused. "The Minister? Since when do you invite them to our home?"

"Don't give me that attitude. Do what I asked."

"Or what?"

"Or wake up."

"What?" Prentiss was startled. Wasn't she already awake? Her mother was acting strange…

"Wake up, Emily."

Prentiss's eyes flew open as cold water washed over her face, soaking her clothes immediately. She gasped at the sting.

"There we go. It's not time for bed yet, young lady." The UnSub chuckled at Prentiss, then happily walked over to Reid, who struggled to keep his head up. His hair was wet from his own wake-up call, and the brown locks stuck to his face, stringy in the front and matted down with dried blood in the back. "Same goes for you, mister."

Prentiss tried to sit up, pleasantly surprised to find her hands free, and the nausea and headache was beginning to dull as well. She watched the UnSub warily as she bent down to smooth the hair out of Reid's face. She pulled away immediately when he fingers brushed the young doctor's forehead.

"You are very hot, sweetie. Are you okay?" The UnSub asked lovingly. Reid made a strangled sound of the negative, and the UnSub frowned. "Don't you worry. I'll fix that right up for you."

She got up and walked back upstairs purposely. As soon as the basement door closed behind her, Prentiss scrambled to her younger colleague's side.

"Oh, Reid," she murmured, gently touching the new dark bruise spreading across Reid's cheek. He grimaced, then tried to smile. His eyes were dull with fever.

"I'm okay, Emily."

Prentiss shook her head at his stubborness. "I'll get us out of here, Reid," she assured him softly. She glanced at his broken leg and tried not to wince. She could see how swollen the limb was; when they got out of here, she hoped Reid wouldn't lose his leg.

The basement door opened once more, a jaunty whistling reaching their ears before they saw the UnSub.

"I hope so," Reid whispered.

**.**

The sound of sirens filled the air when they arrived at the warehouse, lights flashing angrily.

Morgan was out of the car before it came to a complete stop. His heart pounded with anticipation at the prospect of finally saving Reid and Prentiss. Like the rest of the team, he was very worried. The last time Reid was abducted by an UnSub, he came back scarred in both mind and body, and recovery was long and hard and full of pain and secrets.

Morgan wondered if Reid would be able to recover this time.

A group of S.W.A.T. members circled to the back of the warehouse to ensure that no one would escape, while several other groups moved to the sides. Morgan watched the warehouse's boarded windows for any signs of life as he waited for confirmation to be sent in. He had no idea what he would walk into. He had high chances for walking into this warehouse and returning with two corpses instead of two of his friends alive and well.

He could also walk out with only one alive, and for some reason this was harder to swallow than the other horrible thoughts filling his mind. One meant that they arrived early enough to save one BAU member, but late enough to still have a friend to bury.

The sound of his radio crackling on pulled Morgan from the storm of dark thoughts in his mind.

"All in position. Confirmation to go ahead in."

Morgan motioned his team, which was composed of Rossi, Hotch, and several S.W.A.T. members, forwards, towards the entrance.

When they reached the chains securing the warehouse door, a pair of S.W.A.T. members moved up to cut them. The second the chains were gone, they waited for Hotch's nod, and then opened the door, drawing their guns up before slipping into the dark building.

Morgan followed suit, clicking on his flashlight as he surveyed the first level. There was nothing.

He followed another pair up to the next level, and then the roof.

It was all clear.

Reid and Prentiss were not there, but as Morgan was walking towards the roof exit, he noticed a shimmer of light next to a vent. He approached the vent cautiously, and froze when he recognized the object sitting there, placed gently just for the BAU to find.

Morgan bent down and picked up the pair of phones, and the FBI credentials placed underneath them. He opened it up, and grimaced.

He reached for his radio, clicking it on. "I got something on the roof."

When Rossi, Hotch, and J.J. reached the roof, Morgan turned towards them grimly. He held open Prentiss and Reid's credentials for them to see.

In red marker, someone wrote in straight, neat handwriting: 'Deceased'

**…**

"Please tell me you have good news," Garcia said the second she answered the phone.

Morgan grimaced. "Sorry, Baby Girl. We didn't find Reid or Prentiss. We did find their phones and credentials, though."

"Well do you have anything for me to work with?" Garcia sounded desperate.

"One thing, but it's a long shot."

"Try me."

Morgan explained what he wanted Garcia to find out, and he listened to Garcia's rapid keystrokes. She could work a lot of magic, but he knew that even a tech analyst as magical as Garcia had limits.

Sure enough, Garcia finally said, "I got nothing, Sugar. I'm sorry."

Sensing the disappointment in her voice, he said softly, "Don't worry, Baby Girl. We'll find them."

Her response was drowned out by the sound of shouting filling the police station. Morgan turned around and froze.

A tall, lanky woman stood in the center of the station, scanning the area with curiosity. When her eyes met Morgan's, she smiled sweetly.

"Agent Morgan."

She dropped the gun she cradled underneath her chin, and immediately two officers moved in and restrained her. Morgan barely heard the panicked sound of Garcia on the phone.

"Hello, Morgan," The woman greeted. Morgan stared at her, and quietly told Garcia that he was fine and he would call her back. He motioned to the officers to hold her up, and when the woman was finally standing, she set off warning bells in Morgan's head.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Me?" The woman seemed surprised. "Well, I'm the one that murdered two federal agents, of course."

**Author's Note: The sequel to this story will be posted soon. Thank you for the reviews, they made me smile :) The sequel will definitely tie the story up, and will also be in two parts like this one. Thank you for waiting patiently and for reading _Devil's Backbone_. - Hugs, TTG.**


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